THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702070222
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 64 lines
Chesapeake PRIDE plans to heat up Hot 'Lanta.
The Chesapeake PRIDE Team will show off its performing prowess when it attends the International PRIDE World Drug Conference, taking place March 5-8 at PRIDE's headquarters city, Atlanta.
Chesapeake PRIDE (Parent Resource Institute for Drug Education) is a performing troupe of high school students from Hickory, Great Bridge, Western Branch, Deep Creek and Oscar Smith high schools. The 30-member group performs skits, songs and production numbers at city and area schools, churches and civic organizations touting drug-free lives and personal responsibility. Members join the team through auditions and pledge to live drug and alcohol free lives.
PRIDE is overseen by administrative director Malia Piper, career guidance counselor at Oscar Smith; musical director William R. ``Billy'' Williams; and assistant administrator Johnna Byrd, elementary school counselor at Georgetown Primary and Greenbrier Intermediate who also works with the Pals for Peers program at Indian River High.
The Chesapeake team is part of the national PRIDE network. It pays annual dues and receives performance materials, music backing tapes, routines sand songs from PRIDE's national office in Atlanta. Local funding for the group comes from the Youth Alcohol Drug Abuse Prevention Project and from businesses, individuals, teachers, churches, clubs, civic organizations and student fund raisers.
Each year hundreds of PRIDE high school teams from around the country, along with school administrators and educators, meet at the drug conference to exchange drug education and intervention ideas and strategies, attend educational workshops and show off team production numbers.
At this year's conference, the Chesapeake team was picked to perform at the conference's opening All-Star Talent Showcase and its concluding Musicfest.
``We were one of 11 teams selected to perform,'' Piper said. ``There are 400 teams across the country so I'm quite sure that at least 100 send in audition tapes. We've been selected to perform at the conference every year we've attended. I think that says something about the talent we have on this team.''
A modern techno-beat dance rhythm, devised by team members Leslie Crowe, a Great Bridge High sophomore, and Miai Porter, a Western Branch senior, will be part of the final performance.
Besides performing, Piper said the PRIDE members will attend informational and educational workshops as well as participate in various public speaking, drama, musical performance and drug education competitions.
Piper said the team will travel to Atlanta via bus in order to save on transportation costs.
``We're still in the process of trying to pay for the trip and pay off a few other bills,'' she said.
So far, Chesapeake PRIDE operating funds have been raised through a Dec. 6 dinner theater event at the Norfolk Elk's Lodge. The group has also held doughnut and candy sales. It plans a flea market in the spring.
````It's important that we attend this annual drug conference,'' Piper said. ``. . . we bring back quite a bit of valuable information concerning drug education, peer pressure and many other things. The Chesapeake PRIDE does make a difference.'' MEMO: Any individual, church, school, business or civic group interested
in helping fund Chesapeake PRIDE's efforts locally or at the annual
world drug conference should call 548-0992 during the day or 436-6457
after 5 p.m.